INLD
all set to gain majorityFive councillors cross over to
ruling partyPanchkula, February 4The ruling INLD is all set to gain
an absolute majority in the newly elected municipal council here with
the crossing over of at least five councillors from other parties. With
two weeks left for the elapse of the one-month period for issuing the
election notification, the ruling party is making efforts to woo
Independent councillors, including Congressmen who had fought the
elections as Independents.

BLACK MONEY CASEFCI official,
wife appear before policeChandigarh/Hoshiarpur,
February 4The controversial senior official
of the Food Corporation of India (FCI), Mr P.P. Singh, and his lawyer
wife, Madhu Singh, appeared before the Hoshiarpur police today to record
their statements in the Rs 1 crore black money case.

SPREADING
THE WINGS OF JOY: As the sun pushes aside a thick blanket of fog over the Chhat Bir zoo, a Rosy Pelican comes out in the open to enjoy the pleasant weather, on
Tuesday.
— Photo Karam Singh

Sarabjit
was eccentric: Mohali copsChandigarh, February 4An eerie silence prevails at the
Phase 7 house where a 45-year old tenant was stabbed to death by
Sarabjit, son of the landlord. The sympathies of residents of the
locality are with the assailant’s father, Sq Ldr Chamkaur Singh
Mandher (retd). Said to be a religious person who is respected in the
locality, the 65-year-old father was seen pleading the case of his son
who entered into a quarrel with the tenants.

TRIBUNE SPECIALNot enough
firemen to save cityChandigarh, February 4The Fire Department does not have
enough staff for handling simultaneous fires in the city, so, the
damage may get multiplied, if a natural calamity strikes the city.
According to sources, the shortage is so acute that even untrained
staff members are told to drive fire engines whenever there is a fire.

Nursing
Council office raidedSAS Nagar, February 4Officials of the Department of
Health and Family Welfare, Punjab, conducted a raid on the office of
the Nursing Council here today in connection with some alleged
irregularities found in the preparation of results of GNM students.

Fog
plays spoilsport againChandigarh, February 4Thick layers of fog again hit
normal schedule of rail, road and air services today while Amritsar
remained the coldest with mercury dipping to 4.7°C and maximum
temperatures staying two to three degrees below normal in the region.

Police
rounds up ‘innocent’Chandigarh, February 4In their overzealousness to check
the sale of drugs outside schools in the city, cops rounded up some
persons who happened to be basking in the Sun.

HUDA
to recover Rs 20 cr from defaultersPanchkula, February 4The Haryana Urban Development
Authority is all set to recover over Rs 20 crore of defaulting amount
from allottees of commercial, industrial and residential plots here.

The
passing of a legendChandigarh, February 4Amaresh Chandra Chowdhury, the
great vocalist, a missionary, and an intellectual, breathes no more. As
he heads for his heavenly abode, it is time to spare a thought for the
great musician, who not only enriched his own world by mastering the
grammar of Kirana gharana, but also performed acts of benevolence by
virtue of being associated with the Ramakrishna Mission.

Panchayat’s
plea not to acquire landChandigarh, February 4Raipur Kalan sarpanch Bahadur Singh
and panch Ramvir Singh Bhatti have demanded that a two-and-a-half kanal
of land be not acquired for the development of Industrial Area,
Phase-III.

Kalpana’s
death condoledChandigarh, February 4The Chandigarh chapter of the
Aeronautical Society of India today held a condolence meeting in the
memory of astronaut, Kalpana Chawla, who lost her life with six others
when American space shuttle, Columbia, crashed on Saturday.

Workshop
in British LibraryChandigarh, February 4A workshop was organised for over
50 young members of The British Library in Sector 8, which was aimed at
helping them develop life skills. Prof Jitendra Mohan, Director of
Asia’s Centre for Excellence, was the resource person at the workshop
titled ‘Personality: Achieving Excellence’.

A section of the participants at a workshop on ‘Personality: Achieving Excellence’ at
The British Library in Chandigarh on Tuesday. — A Tribune photograph

Erratic
power, water supplyChandigarh, February 4Residents of a part of Maloya
Colony are facing hardship these days due to erratic power and water
supply in the area. Students are the worst hit.

GLITZ
& GLAMOURLook back with
love on Valentine’s DayHE is there at the
afternoon bash. Smart hunk in dazzling leather jacket over torn-at-knees
black denims. Mr Right, no doubt about it. Leaning against the
discotheque’s decked up wall, he is holding a sparkling mug full of
invigorating yellow elixir in his firm hands.

VENUS
SPEAKSSteer clear
from troubleALL you guys and dolls
geared up for zooming on the geri route in jaunty jalopies decked up
with cheerful balloons, steer clear from trouble on St Valentine's Day,
that's the advise college student Ruchi Kaushal has to offer.

Don’t
accept cards sealed with troubleShe accepted the proposal
for trouble, sealed tightly with a perilous kiss of danger, in a
cheerful crimson envelope with tender little hearts strewn all over.

Training
programme for DEOsSAS Nagar, February 4A two-day state-level training
programme of District Education Officers in connection with the 7th
All-India School Education Survey by the State Council of Education
Research and Training (SCERT), Punjab, began here today. The programme
is being organised in collaboration with experts from the NCERT and the
NIC.

Construction
of school put offChandigarh, February 4The construction of the school on
V-6 road of Sector 37-D, being opposed by a section of residents, has
reportedly been suspended following a formal request from the area
councillor Kamla Sharma and the Residents Welfare Association to
Adviser, Virendra Singh.

PU
team to attend AP youth festChandigarh, February 4Panjab University team will
participate in the Inter-Zonal Youth Festival to be held from February 7
to 11 at University of Arts and Science College, Kakatiyah University,
Andhra Pradesh, an official press note said here today.

PU
exams from April 4Chandigarh, February 4Annual examinations of all
undergraduate and postgraduate courses offered by Panjab University will
commence from April 4 onwards.

DISTRICT COURTSBadal's case
against CM adjournedChandigarh, February 4A defamation case filed against
Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh by former Punjab Chief
Minister Parkash Singh Badal alleging that the contents of the
advertisements published by the congress during Assembly elections were
false, malicious and contrary to facts on record was today adjourned for
March 17 by the UT Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mr C.L. Mohal.

Iranian
cultural week from Feb 6Chandigarh, February 4The Persian Literary Society and
the Department of Persian, Panjab University, will organise an
‘Iranian cultural week from February 6. This was stated by Dr
Madhukar Arya, convener, while addressing a press conference here
today.

Kamal
Tewari to be honouredChandigarh, February 4Celebrated theatre music director
Kamal Tewari, also a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for
1999-2000, has now been selected for the late Shri Ramchander Saha
Srijan Samman.

OPDs
turn sick at Mohali hospitalSAS Nagar, February 4The outpatient wing of the Civil
Hospital here has been badly hit due to lack of Emergency Medical
Officers (EMOs), causing inconvenience to patients apart from
adversely affecting the hospital finances.

Urology
Gold Medal for PGI DirectorChandigarh, February 4The PGI Director, Prof S.K.
Sharma, has been selected for the Urology Gold Medal and Dr Himadiri
Sarkar Memorial Oration for 2003 - 2004. The decision was taken at the
annual conference of the Urological Society of India, at Guwahati last
month.

Tushar
loses to unseeded player Chandigarh, February 4The second day of the ongoing ITF
Junior Ranking Tennis Tournament, organised by the Chandigarh Lawn
Tennis Association and being played at Tennis Stadium, Sector 10,
brought disappointment for the local tennis buffs when sixth-seed
Tushar Liberhan went down fighting Cavaday Nicholas, an unseeded
British player, in straight sets.

Naresh
Kumar is DPRChandigarh, February 4The Chandigarh Administration
today relieved Mr Vivek Atray of the charge of Director, Public
Relations, (DPR), making him free to concentrate on Chandigarh
Technology Park in his capacity of Director, Information Technology.